Abstract

The paper discusses report of The Spellings Commission for Future of Higher Education that was set up to look into the issues facing the higher education system in the U.S., outline the challenges and offer recommendations to tackle the problems. Most importantly, The Spellings Commission Report raised the issue of the role of federal government in the development of higher education system. The paper focuses on one of the issues raised by the Spellings Commission, access to higher education.
The paper suggests that today access still remains an issue for higher education in the U.S. Adjusting to changing demographic trends, increased ethnic diversity and increased enrollments with limited federal resources and complicated federal aid system is still a challenge of the future. The question that remains to be answered is: ‘Will the federal government sustain its traditional commitment to equalizing opportunities for higher education?’

A Test of Leadership. Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education. A Report of the Commission Appointed by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. U.S. Department of Education, September 2006.

Baum, S. (February, 2007). Testimony before the U.S. committee on Health, Education, labor and Pensions. Hearing: “Higher Education, Higher Cost and Higher Debt: Paying for College in the Future”
Comments on the Spellings Commission Report from the Executive Council of the Modern Language Association of America, March 2007. MLA. http://www.mla.org/comments_spellingsreport

Congressional Testimonies: Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness Subcommittee Hearing: ‘The State of Higher Education: How Students Access and Finance a College Education.’ 03/08/07. http://edworkforce.house.gov/hearings/hellc030807.shtml.

Long, B.T. (2006, December 5). Testimony of Dr. Bridget Terry Long before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. Hearing: “Report Card on Tax Exemptions and Incentives for Higher Education: Pass, Fail, or Need Improvement?”

Reactions to the Spellings Commission Report from scholars and educators:
Source: http://www.highereducation.org/crosstalk/ct0406/Spellings.pdf